If you're of the mind that bookmobiles are old school, you may want to reconsider the 21st century incarnation. The OverDrive Digital Bookmobile, with nary a hardcover in sight, will roll into Boise on Thursday, May 10, promoting the Boise Public Library's free e-book downloads. The 18-wheel, 74-foot-long rolling showcase is equipped with broadband Internet-connected desktops and laptops and a gallery of gadgets--Kindles, iPods, Nooks, Android tablets, Sony Readers and more.

Lenders are accessing e-books at record pace in Boise. The latest statistics indicate a more than 300 percent increase of e-books being checked out this year compared to the same time period in 2011. The Boise system currently holds more than 3,500 adult titles and 2,000 youth titles. Here's the real stunner: In the month of April, the Boise Library counted 7,800 total e-book checkouts. The most-popular adult fiction e-book title is 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James and The Hunger Games Trilogy are the most-popular youth titles.